Portland Street Response Mental Health Crisis Responder II - Extended

City of Portland, OR - Portland, OR

Full-time

Portland, OR

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support

About the position

The City of Portland is hiring two (2) Mental Health Crisis Responders for Portland Street Response (PSR)! This position is a Regular, Full-Time, Non-Exempt appointment. Employees will work four (4) 10-hour days with three (3) days off a week. Shifts include days, afternoons, and nights, including holidays. Ability to work any shift and on any day of the week is essential. During training, shifts may change depending on trainer availability. After completing probation, employees can bid on an open shift based on seniority. The work location is 330 SW Curry St., Portland OR 97239. This position may be eligible for Language Pay Differential for qualifying employees. Union representation is provided by Professional Technical Employees, Local 17 (PROTEC-17).

Responsibilities

• Provide immediate mobile crisis response to service calls dispatched through the 911 system in the city of Portland per program policies and procedures.
• Effectively engage with diverse clients across social, cultural, and economic differences in a respectful and collaborative manner.
• Identify and assess risk factors for harm to self or others in the context of the client's current psycho-social state via interview with client and with consideration given to collateral information.
• Consider and articulate potential outcomes of various interventions, discuss their risks and benefits, and formulate why a particular course of action was pursued in lieu of other options.
• Apply principles of client-centered and trauma-informed care, opting for the least intrusive and most supportive intervention.
• Effectively implement behavioral interventions such as collaborative problem-solving, short-term goal setting, and risk reduction/safety planning in a client-centered manner.
• Engage in resource and service coordination to de-escalate and resolve the presenting crisis.
• Coordinate responses to crisis situations with community agencies and service providers.
• Document and maintain electronic medical records (EMR) and ancillary records in compliance with all agency policies, program procedures, and local, state, and federal regulations.
• Support program continuous quality improvement (CQI) efforts by participating in chart review and maintaining accurate documentation of key goals, outcomes, and indicators.
• Participate in all scheduled staff meetings, supervision sessions, and relevant local and regional trainings.
• Complete employee training requirements in a timely manner as indicated in the requirements for the bureau and applicable licensing boards.
• Conduct a Mental Status assessment and formulate clinical impressions based on knowledge of symptom criteria in the most current DSM.
• Assume a lead role for assigned Mental Health Crisis Responder I positions by providing case consultation, individual and group clinical supervision, and clinical support for complex crisis calls.
• Provide input for performance reviews of Mental Health Crisis Responder I positions.

Requirements

• Knowledge of related privacy rules and laws, including HIPAA, mandatory reporting requirements, legal responsibilities, and organizational policies.
• Knowledge of cultural differences and their intersections (e.g., race, sexual orientation, gender equality, socioeconomic status) and their impact on client engagement.
• Experience assessing clients' risk of harm to self or others (e.g., suicide, homicide, violence) and effectively mitigating identified risks.
• Knowledge of medical terminology and experience navigating health systems and entering documentation into medical record systems.
• Ability to recognize and respond to client reactivity, employing strategies to effectively address and de-escalate issues.

Nice-to-haves

• Bachelor of Science in a Behavioral Health field or equivalent.
• Five (5) years' experience in direct behavioral health service or equivalent.
• Understanding of the principles and practices of Trauma Informed Care (TIC).
• Experience facilitating groups and trainings.
• Experience providing individual and group clinical supervision.
• Experience as a first responder or frontline community-based crisis responder.
• Experience working effectively in multi/intra-disciplinary settings with other first responders, health and community agencies.
• Trained in behavioral health crisis assessment and intervention.
• Bi-lingual fluency is desired.